Star Island

Meet twenty-two-year-old Cherry Pye (n#65533;e Cheryl Bunterman), a pop star since she was fourteen--and about to attempt a comeback from her latest drug-and-alcohol disaster.

Now meet Cherry again: in the person of her "undercover stunt double," Ann DeLusia. Ann portrays Cherry whenever the singer is too "indisposed"--meaning wasted--to go out in public. And it is Ann-mistaken-for-Cherry who is kidnapped from a South Beach hotel by obsessed paparazzo Bang Abbott.

Now the challenge for Cherry's handlers (#65533;ber--stage mother; horndog record producer; nipped, tucked, and Botoxed twin publicists; weed whacker--wielding bodyguard) is to rescue Ann while keeping her existence a secret from Cherry's public--and from Cherry herself.

The situation is more complicated than they know. Ann has had a bewitching encounter with Skink--the unhinged former governor of Florida living wild in a mangrove swamp--and now he's heading for Miami to find her . . .

Will Bang Abbott achieve his fantasy of a lucrative private photo session with Cherry Pye? Will Cherry sober up in time to lip-synch her way through her concert tour? Will Skink track down Ann DeLusia before Cherry's motley posse does?

All will be revealed in this hilarious spin on life in the celebrity fast lane.

"In this classic Carl Hiaasen novel ("demented, hilarious, and utterly over the top" (Booklist)), Ann DeLusia, the body double for frequently drug-addled pop star Cherry Pye, has been kidnapped by an obsessed (and, obviously, convinced) paparazzo. Now, Cherry's entourage (a mixed bag, to be sure) has to rescue Ann while keeping her existence a secret not only from Cherry's adoring public, but also from Cherry herself. There's not much to like about any of the characters in Star Island, but the creatively wacky plot is sure to entertain readers who enjoy poking fun at celebrity stardom." September 2013 Thrillers and Suspense newsletter http://www.nextreads.com/Display2.aspx?SID=5acc8fc1-4e91-4ebe-906d-f8fc5e82a8e0&N=674857

There were a couple very colorful characters that I totally enjoyed. Good story that made me want to pick up the book and read more!! I need to explore some other stories by this author, hopefully some with the colorful characters that really made Star Island a fun read!! 7 out of 10 for me.

People tell me that Hiassen is funny, but for me only a little. In this book virtually all of his characters in the sordid world of papparazzi, teen music stars, promoters, and bodyguards are lurid, grotesque, unpleasant, and exagerrated. Perhaps that is humorous, but it would help to have a few realistic characters to balance the mix. If the teen girl sensation's (fading into drugs and sex addiction like Britney and others) double is supposed to provide that, she is so bland and without a point of view that I can't root for her either. Maybe for Hiassen fans this raunchy romp will be a laugh a chapter or perhaps this could scare a teen sensation wannabe straight. Otherwise preserve yourself.

As someone that LOVES Carl Hiassen, Star Island did not disappoint me. What was fantastic was a few characters from other books also made appearances. If you like books with ironic humour, witty writing, and always some drama and suspense, give this book, or any Carl Hiassen fiction a try.